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Dentists around the nation are cringing. For an entire month, kids — and adults! — have a free pass to devour candy by the fistful. You can’t escape it: It’s on your brain, on your co-workers desk, and has been on sale at the drugstore since September — which is downright spooky.

Here at The Daily Meal, we decided to check out what’s under the wrapper of America’s favorite candies, and explore how the iconic sweets came to be. From Snickers to Twizzlers, we tasted (ahem, investigated) them all. Think your candy expertise rivals that of Willy Wonka? Prove it: Check out our slideshow and see if you can guess the item by the ingredients.

In an ideal world, candy would be free of chemicals and preservatives. Who really wants to eat a compound called Red #40? But although we found whole ingredients like peanuts and honey, there were plenty of questionable, hard-to-pronounce items like resinous glaze and titanium dioxide color.

Common items we discovered in these candies include: Red 40, a color additive approved for use in human food in 1971; Yellow 5, a color additive approved in 1969; and soy lecithin, a soybean oil extract used as a natural stabilizer in food. For those eager to ingest as few chemicals as possible, but who still want to get their sweet fix, we suggest you rely on Hershey's Kisses, as they are appear to have the least amount of additives of the treats on our minds — er, list.

We listed the complete ingredients of the items in this slideshow, so you can feel prepared when it comes time to sort the contents of your pillow case later this month. If you are ready for the frightening truth, stock up on toothpaste, grab a couple of candy bars, and check out What’s in Your Halloween Candy?

We want to hear from you! Leave us a note below and tell us about your favorite Halloween treats.